Austriadactylus cristatus

Austriadactylus lived during the Late Triassic Period (Norian); the only known specimen was found in an abandoned mine in Austria. It was a relatively small pterosaur with a wingspan of 1 m (3.3 ft) and a skull length of 10 cm, the skull of which possessed an unusual bony crest that widened towards the snout.

Name

Austriadactylus cristatus

Authority

Dalla Vecchia, Wild, Hopf & Reitner, 2002

Meaning of generic name

Austria finger

[or "Austria pterodactyl" = "Austria wingfinger", the -ptero- being understood but suppressed for brevity]

Meaning of specific name

crested, see text above

Size

Wingspan: 1 m, Length: 25 cm (without tail), Skull length: 10 cm

Remains

Nearly complete skeleton

[Holotype (SMNS 56342)]

Age and Distribution

Abandoned mine near Ankerschlag, Tyrol, NW Austria; Seefelder Schichten, late Alaunian (middle Norian).

Classification

Pterosauria Campylognathoididae

Further Reading

F. M. Dalla Vecchia, R. Wild, H. Hopf and J. Reitner. 2002. A crested rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur from the Late Triassic of Austria. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(1):196-199.

Image by Nobu Tamura (click to enlarge)

Austriadactylus cristatus: